By Deanna Boyd
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Copyright 2007 Fort Worth Star-Telegram
FORT WORTH, Texas — A grandmother who fainted. Two fathers in diabetic shock. A mother having a seizure.
In each instance, children were home with no other adults present when the medical emergency occurred.
They could have panicked.
Instead, following lessons they’d learn from their parents or at school, they picked up the phone and dialed 911 for help.
Monday, regional 911 officials honored the four children with plaques, medals and backpacks full of goodies during a ceremony at the MedStar headquarters in Fort Worth.
Officials also announced a new public service announcement campaign: “Know How to Use 9-1-1 With the Phone You Own.” The TV and radio spots are aimed at educating the public on how 911 works with wireless and Internet phones and why knowing information like your location is vital.
“We have four classic examples of children that understand how to use 911 with the phone you own,” said Christy Williams, 911 program manager for the North Central Texas Council of Governments.
The children honored:
Kylie Smith, 13
Hometown: Colleyville
Why she’s a hero: Kylie, then 12, and her little sister were visiting their grandmother in east Fort Worth in May when the 71-year-old fainted. After calling her parents, Kylie dialed 911 just before her grandmother regained consciousness. The woman was telling dispatchers that she was OK when she fainted a second time. Kylie took the phone again, answering MedStar dispatcher Valerie Carson’s questions and informing her that her grandmother was recovering from breast cancer and chemotherapy. When her grandmother came to again, Kylie followed the dispatcher’s instructions, calmly telling her grandmother to continue lying down while comforting her panicked 7-year-old sister, Bailey.
“Kylie had to take care of both her grandmother and her little sister — a tall order for a 12-year-old kid,” Williams said.
Excerpt from 911 call: “You’re all right. Keep talking to me, OK?” Kylie tells her grandmother, then turns her attention to her little sister. “Bailey, she’s OK. Just calm down. Grandma’s going to be fine.”
Where she learned what to do: During an assembly at her elementary school three or four years earlier. Kylie, who aspires to be a doctor when she grows up, admits that she was scared when her grandmother fainted. “I knew that if I got upset, it wouldn’t really help, so I tried to stay calm for my grandma.”
Bill Smith, her father, has space in his office reserved for her medal and framed awards. “I was proud of her before this ever happened,” he said. “Kylie gives us lots of reasons to be proud.”
Tannie Broussard, 7
Hometown: Denton
Why she’s a hero: Tannie called 911 after her mother had a seizure about three months ago in their home. After reading her address and apartment number from a list that her mother had previously prepared for her, Tannie told the Denton police dispatcher that her dad was working at a different apartment in the complex and that the front door was unlocked so emergency personnel could get inside. When the dispatcher heard a young child crying in the background, Tannie explained that it was her little sister, Kennedi Robin.
“Tannie had to contend with her 2-year-old little sister and could be heard telling her sibling, ‘Hang on,’ so she could listen to the dispatcher’s instructions,” Williams said.
Excerpt from 911 call: “Kennedi is my little sister, and we have two cats; the baby one’s name is Baby Girl and the big mama’s named Kitty.”
How she learned what to do: Tannie’s mother, Heather Guidry, has non-epileptic seizures and taught her daughter what to do in such an emergency.
“She’s a very good reader, so I wrote down all the information and told her if I’m resting and she thinks something is wrong, wake me up and say, ‘Mommy, are you having a seizure?’ If I tell her, ‘No, Mommy’s fine. I’m just tired,’ then it’s OK,” Guidry said. “If she can’t wake me up or rouse me, she goes to the list and she knows exactly what to do.”
Amber Goodrum, 11
Hometown: Fort Worth
Why she’s a hero: Amber called 911 after arriving home from school May 15 to find her dad lying on the bed in diabetic shock. When asked by MedStar dispatcher Roxann Martinez whether her dad was on medication, Amber read from a list that she and her parents had prepared just in case of such an emergency.
“She recited a list of her dad’s prescription medicine to the dispatcher, pronouncing each one as if she was a pharmacist,” Williams said.
Excerpt from 911 call: “I’ve gone through this almost a thousand times. I know the symptoms.”
How she learned what to do: From both her mother, Diann Stone, and from school. Amber said she’s had to summon help for her dad about a dozen times.
“It’s helped save his life several times,” Stone said. “It’s amazing. Now she wants to become a paramedic also, or at least go into the medical field.”
Destine Barcuch, 8
Hometown: Weatherford
Why she’s a hero: Destine called 911 after her father, Bobby Barcuch, went into diabetic shock in their home July 4.
“Destine was ready to answer all the questions about her location and told the dispatcher that she would wait for them on the porch,” Williams said. “Destine relayed she had been through this before and was very worried about her father.”
Excerpt from 911 call: “My dad has diabetes. The worst type — [type I] — and he’s in it right now and I’m here all alone with him because my grandma went over to work and I need them over here quickly, the ambulance.”
How she learned what to do: Taught at age 4 by her parents to call 911 in an emergency, Destine was, at first, a little too eager to try it out. “I’d have a cold or something and she’d call and tell them that I’m sick. She finally understood she couldn’t do that.” said Linda Blue, her grandmother. Destine has now twice used 911 to summon medical help for her dad and hopes other children will learn from her experience. “I want them to learn to only call 911 if someone, a friend or family member, is in trouble,” Destine said. “If you’re there alone, just call and stay calm.”
Bobby Barcuch said hearing his daughter’s 911 call recently was surprising.
“I knew she knew what to do, but it surprised me that she was that calm,” Barcuch said. “She knew more than I thought she did. She knew what type of diabetes I had. ... She’s really a great kid. I love her and I’m glad that she was there.”